Salem, Oregon Anyone? or Moving Horror

I’m moving to Salem, (because I’ve finally found a labor attorney position–big cheer!!), so if anyone has any good tips on where to find an apartment, cool places to drink beer, independent places to buy books, or general how-dee-do for the area, I’d appreciate the info.

If you don’t know anything about Salem, just give your favorite moving horror story (or are all moving stories horror stories?).

The best thing about Salem is that it is only an hour from Portland.

Best place to buy books: Powell’s. It is worth the drive.

Can’t help you much with hotspots and locations, though. I’ve only been a transient visitor. My mom lived there for about two years, so I only experienced it for short, infrequent durations.